True Hearts Academy

Arrival (Prologue)

I stood in front of the giant, silver-painted gates, legs shaking, as nervous as the three blind mice must feel when they hear a 'meow'. "Come on sweetheart, let's go find your destiny," Mother, queen "Snow White" herself, said as she picked my bag off of the floor and opened the gate. It seems so out of place to see her delicate, pale hands lift anything heavier than a teacup. At home, she has servants do just about everything for her.

"Roxanne, let's go," Mother repeated. It took me a second to process my mother's words before picking up my suitcase and running in behind her. "Now, now, Roxanne, don't run. It's not very lady-like, you're a princess."

"Sorry, Mother," I sighed while rolling my pale, ice-blue eyes. She's always scolding me for not being "lady-like" enough. I'm ten years old, what exactly does she expect? All I want is to be a kid, a normal kid, and run around to explore the place I will be calling home for... well, for however long it takes for me to find my story. Not that I really have much of a choice on what it'll be.

"I swear Roxanne, it seems like you don't even want to be the next iteration of Snow White." I sighed as my mother turned to face me, this is not the first time I've heard those words leave her cherry-red lips. Her eyes, physically identical to mine, are full of worry and love for me. She wants me to have a good life, she's always done her best to make it so. It's a shame she only thinks I can have a good life if I become the next "Queen Snow White of Fairyland". Her mouth showed the faintest trace of a frown and her eyebrows creased ever so slightly. I should probably say something...

"Now, now Queen Harley, I'm sure that's not the case." Mother's eyes snapped to the person calling her name as she straightened her slender frame to perfect posture. That voice is so familiar... Is that the Storyteller? He came to my birthday party a few years ago, right? "Roxanne is well aware that she comes from a long line of Snow Whites, the longest generation-to-generation line of any character." Headmaster Skender, the Storyteller, assured her with a brief smile as he came into full view. His smile seemed fake and his eyes showed no warmth or kindness. His features were sharp and made him look ruthless. Well, that combined with the long, jagged scar across his cheek extending to the base of his ear. It's almost as if someone had tried to rip off a part of his face with their bare hands. Creepy! I wonder what the story behind that is.

"Yeah, you're right Skender. I just know she'll do what's right for the kingdom." She was holding in a sigh, I could tell. Funny how they both fail to mention Snow White's mother has, historically, died years before her daughter's old enough to study at True Heart's Academy and her father has, historically, been alive and remarried before "Snow White" reaches her second year here.

"Either way," he sighed. "She is still just a child, and we do have many aspiring Snow Whites this year. Who knows what could happen?" He laughed as he turned to me with a smile, kneeling to be at eye level with me. "Roxanne, I don't want you to feel pressured to make a decision, you are still just a little girl. Your story will present itself to you in due time. Meanwhile, you're stuck in the Mirror Dimension, attending True Hearts Academy. I'm Headmaster Skender, but you can just call me Headmaster." Mother won't like this. He turned back to my mother and spoke to her in a rapid whisper, much too low for me to hear.

"All right dear, let's go find your room," Mother pulled me along the hallway quickly, keeping her eyes straight ahead. Oh, yes, she is most certainly upset about that "who knows what could happen?" quip from the headmaster. "Here we are," Mother announced as she came upon a purple door.

"This is it?" My mouth dropped as soon as we stepped inside. "Mother," I said quickly, "does everyone get a room as nice as this one?" She just smiled at me and I knew instantly that this was yet another "perk" of being her child. I guess I was being slightly (read very) unfair to her, she gives me anything anyone could want. I could tell she was trying to hold back tears.

"Mother, if you wanted to be with me you shouldn't have enrolled me here." I sighed softly, refraining from rolling my eyes at her.

"I know honey, I know I could have kept you home, but it's just not right. Roxanne," she looked at me softly. "You are destined for greatness, you are going to change the worlds." Before I could open my mouth to speak, Mother went to the door and kept her back to me. "I love you sweetheart, don't ever forget that." I pretended I couldn't tell she was crying as she walked away, just as she pretended I would be alright.